ABOUT
About the BiotechClub
The BiotechClub is an organisation for the young researchers curious about science beyond academia.
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The BiotechClub was founded in May 2010 by three students from the University of Helsinki: Vytas Raulinaitis, Anna Enzerink and Zhao Zeng. Since then, the BiotechClub has organised well over 30 events, including seminars and forums, local and international field trips, career events and social gatherings. It continually welcomes new members as well as ideas and suggestions to cater best to the interests of its members.
MISSION
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1. To stimulate student interest in and promote understanding of biotechnology industry
2. To provide educational experiences in industry venues
3. To act as a source of information for current relevant biotechnology industry-oriented events
STRUCTURE
Members
Individuals subscribing to the BiotechClub mailing list. In the event of individual competitive selection, such as for the field trips, priority is granted in the following order: persons in charge of the event, members of the BiotechClub and the rest.
Committee
A steering body of the BiotechClub formed by the pro-active members. They interact with all other stakeholders. To join the Committee, contact one of the current members for more info.
Mentors
Noemí Gutiérrez Valdés
Noemí works as a Research Scientist at Lumene Group, driving R&D and Sustainability projects that turn side-streams and Nordic plants into innovative upcycled cosmetic ingredients. With expertise in biotechnology, protein production, and cross-sector collaboration, she explores how local Finnish plants can inspire circular beauty.
She completed her Master’s in Plant Biotechnology at Wageningen UR and her PhD in Plant Sciences at the University of Helsinki. In Finland, she has worked at VTT, a biotech startup, and now Lumene, gaining broad experience across academia and industry. Passionate about mentoring and community building, Noemí also enjoys exploring new cuisines in the kitchen, reading, and singing.
Usha Mohanraj
Usha is currently working as Commercial Lead at Neuroscience Centre, part of HiLIFE.
Over the last 10 years, Usha has held various Business Development roles, focusing on research commercialisation, including managing her own tech company, Meini Oy, as a co-founder.
In addition to her business endeavours, Usha is an experienced biomedical researcher who recently earned her PhD at the University of Helsinki’s Faculty of Medicine where her thesis was awarded with distinction.
Outside of her professional commitments, Usha enjoys travelling and exploring new cultures and cuisines!
Advisory Board
An instructive body for the Committee consultation and guidance.
The current members of the advisory board are:
Mart Saarma, Research Director, Head of the laboratory at the Institute of Biotechnology, HiLIFE, University of Helsinki.
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Mart is the member of several academies, EMBO and Academia Europea. Dr. Saarma group has characterized several new GDNF family receptors, discovered a new neurotrophic factor CDNF. His research group is investigating the signalling and biological functions of GDNF family ligands and endoplasmic reticulum located CDNF/MANF neurotrophic factor families. He studies the therapeutic potential of these proteins and their mimetics in various neurological diseases. He is the founder of several biotech companies.
Windi Muziasari, Founder and CEO of Resistomap Oy.
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Windi obtained her PhD in Microbiology and Biotechnology from the University of Helsinki in 2016. Following her doctoral studies, she pursued a postdoctoral position at the same laboratory where she completed her PhD, the Marko Virta Group in Viikki. During her postdoc, Windi took charge of organizing a course titled "Biotechnology: From Inventions to Commercialisation," which ultimately served as the catalyst for her founding of Resistomap in 2018. Since then, Windi has dedicated herself full-time to Resistomap, serving as its CEO. Her efforts were recognized when she received the Young Researchers Entrepreneurs of Finland award in 2022. Currently, Resistomap has successfully undertaken over 300 projects across 45 countries, focusing on monitoring antibiotic resistance genes in the environment.
During her leisure time, Windi finds pleasure in watching K-dramas and listening to K-pop music.
Alexandra Peth, Managing Director, Finnish Bioindustries and Senior Advisor, Innovations in Chemical Industry Federation of Finland
Alexandra holds a Master’s degree in Social Sciences from University of Helsinki. Prior to her role as the Managing Director of Finnish Bioindustries she has been working with public affairs related to innovation and sustainability. In her work she has been focusing on strengthening the research to innovation ecosystem and innovation investment funnel in Finland. She is also member of the SusChem board.
Ville Paavilainen, Research Director at the Institute of Biotechnology at University of Helsinki HiLIFE.
Ville is a group leader at the Institute of Biotechnology, where his research focuses on diverse mechanisms that cells use to maintain a balanced proteome, especially in the mammalian secretory pathway. Main focus of his research is on mechanisms of therapeutically relevant inhibitors of protein secretion, targeting the Sec61 protein translocon. In addition to his research interests, Ville collaborates widely with biotechnology companies and also advises them in their small molecule drug discovery projects. Recently, Ville has also launched a spinout company focusing on improving production of biological therapeutics, which is based on research in his group.